Protesting Students Urge President Buhari To Revert Petrol Price , Electricity Tarriff in Warri

  

 By: Wilson Macaulay

WARRI

The National Association of Nigerian Students NANS Zone B  made up of South Southa andSouth-East  students of Universities, Polythenics, Petroleum Institute PTI , Colleges of Education and and other  Tertiary lnstitutions in the zone  today in a peaceful protest in Warri Delta State called on President Muhammadu Buhari to revert  the unpopular decision to arbitrarily increase the pump price of premium Motor Spirit PMS popularly called petrol and also to  maintain the old    Electricity Tarriff  because the realitiies  on ground shows that  Nigerians cannot afford to pay the new throat cutting prices.

 The NANS Group  in  their tersely  worded  Official statement made available to Daily Independent Newspaper declared that the only way forward is for President Buhari to listen to the voices  of the masses who are bearing the  brunt of the hike in fuel and ectricity , adding that deregulation coming in the midst of Covid -19 is indeed a bitter pill that is too bitter   for Nigerians to swallow. 

 Coordinator of NANS Zone B  Comrade Jeremiah  Friday Ohomah  a post graduate student of  the Federal  University of Petroleum Resources Effurun FUPRE  who addressed the Press to register the displeasure of the students against the policy said: "  We are protesting today against the inhuman policy of President Buhari targeted at the Masses, the low income earners who actually deserve better welfare package and pallaiatives to cushion the effect of Covid 19 as it is done in many nations across the world. "

Comrade Jrremiah  F. Ohomah the Zone B Coordinator asserted  that the reversal of Mr president decision is necessary because the life of the masses in Nigeria defends largely on Pump price , therefore an increment on PMS is a hike on all commodities. 

According to Comrade Ohomah the NANS Official, President Buhari has no excuse but to do the needful as our  response to   deregulation policy at this time remains negative. 

Comrade Ohomah explained that it is wrong for the FG  to think of  solving subsidy  problem by creating another problem of poorer masses , the human capital that is most important to any nation. 

When asked to give a hint of what they will do if  PMB refuses to listen,  Comrade Ohomah said: " The FG knows what we  can do,  we will be in the street till we get what we want. Don't also forget that NANS played a fundamental role for the enthronement of democracy in 1999 which the current administration is enjoying today."

Comrade Oturu Sovereignty a final year Medical student of the Delta State University Abraka ,, Director of Programs and Niger Delta Affairs who also spoke during the Protest said : " The NANS leadership in Zone B has made it expressly clear through this protest that  our response to the fuel and electricity increment is capital no.

Comrade Oturu Sovereignty the NANS official in  his speech argued that what Mr President has done is share wickedness against the vonurables  in our society hence we have come out to speak against the policy unequivocally. 

Comrade Sovereignty  who lamented  further the negative effects of  hike in petrol  said : " Nigerians are paying for epileptic power supply without  productivity so an increment means asking us to pay for darkness  only to buy a hiked fuel to power your genetor , a practice which reminds the people of the era of Thomas Hobbes state of nature .

 Comrade Oyeye Emmanuel  SUG President of PTI    who corroborated the speeches  of  his colleagues said: " What President Buhari has done is like trampling a stricken child who is already beaten black and blue,  the Nigerian populace cannot go through hardship all the time without any expectations from Aso Rock . 

Continuing he said : " we have taken this bold step to tell PMB to his face to rescind the PMS and electricity  hike policy so that more Nigerians will not go to early graves before their time. 

Comrade Simon Uzuazor Gift Director of Transport and External Affairs from DELSU  who  frowned at the FG penchant for doing things that will always make life difficult for the ordinary man in the street said: " We cannot tolerate any policy that will increase suffering and penury in our nation, stressing that fuel hike is nothing but another attempt to bruise the body, spirit and the soul of our people, so, NANS is standing to say no.

Speaking further he said: " We are ready to cry to the International Community if our demands falls on deaf ears because the world is a global village and Mr President is not  unaware of this reality. "

Comrade Anidi Samuel Vice President NAPS and Comrade Ayonuwe Brown, Monitoring Director in their reactions noted that   president Buhari have to listen to the demands of NANS as we  represent the down trodden of the society.

We recall that the  Global President of NANS ,Comrade Danielson Bamideke Akpan earlier some days ago  held  a press  Conference on the  need to reverse the hike in petrol  price and electricity tariff saying : 

"The effects of these increases amidst earlier increments made in Value Added Tax (VAT) and multiple taxations on goods and services have started causing unbearable consequences, thereby compounding the obvious imbalances in the economic and social life of Nigerians, most of whom, are dependent on (unstable) electricity supply and PMS to do businesses and make ends meet. "

 Seaking further,  he said :   "categorically l can that, there have been uncharted abuse of our foreign exchange by beneficiaries of subsidies over the years and by no means new to this administration, which has had nothing to do with the welfare of the masses, is a misplacement, as these huge resources deployed to a few, could also be deployed for the optimum growth of the nation.

The NANS boss posited :, the subsidy regime is no longer visible and it's complete removal is inevitable. but the timing of the the removal and the effect of the removal is wrong. 

At a time when the effects of the coronavirus pandemic is biting so hard on the masses.

He remarked that the  new normal in the world requires the channeling of resources to profitable ventures with humane face, conscious and deliberate growth plans, discoveries and discussions on sustainability models of revenue generation, firm economic programs with deep impact on citizens and how to prevent the country from another recession, rather than continue an unsustainable squander of the nation's resources in the name of subsidy. This is totally unacceptable going forward, however the period of the increase due to such removal leaves all in wonder. 

However, Nigerian students have decided to call on government to reverse the increases in petrol price and electricity tariff because of the prevailing economy.

Generally speaking, Nigerians are bewildered that having been under months of lockdown and restrictive measures, welcoming them back to normal life with increases in prices of essential commodities is a burden too harsh for the citizens to bear.

Nigerian students in particular will be hard hit by these policies and therefore cannot concentrate or cope with studies as their usually managed 101 feeding standard can no longer be guaranteed. Many students have been forced out of school already due to high cost of living and deteriorating economic conditions of their families.

As you already know, Nigerian students (NANS structures and states) have been protesting against the latest announced prices as directed by the National Secretariat of NANS. The protests will continue as planned.

On behalf of the NANS leadership, I hereby direct the entirety of Nigerian students to reaffirm our commitment to ongoing calls for the reversal of the hikes. 

Precisely on Monday 14th September, 2020, Nigerian students shall be making a loud statement in a mass protest across the six geo political zones, the Federal Capital Territory to demand outright reversal of the insensitive price hikes.

Now is the time to reset our priorities as a government, people and develop with a common purpose that seeks the good of the common man. Perhaps, if our refineries were working at optimal production level and new ones added over the years, Nigerians would by now have long forgotten the pains of persistent increases especially on petroleum products. 

That the government has realized that Nigerians can no longer bear the pains of long years of neglect, dishonest oil merchants who have ripped Nigerians of earnings from oil refining, production and sales at the detriment of the people, nation's reserves and national development but should act in consultation with the people.

We shall be engaging the FG and all ministries, departments and agencies and other stakeholders both in the Finance, Power and Petroleum sector. We shall demand too, efficient service delivery from the Disco's and the entire power sector.

A letter of protest rejecting the price hikes especially on electricity and petrol pricing would be addressed to the President & C-in-C, H.E Muhammad Buhari, GCFR through the six geo political zones for onward delivery to Mr. President while the FCT Minister will convey the message to the C-in-C for the North Central Zone.

Finally, we enjoin members of the fourth estate of the realm, Nigerian journalists to partner with us on this journey, to put an end to this repeated debacles in the petroleum sector.  We assure citizens and the Nigerian government that our resistance to the latest increases has no political undertone and shall be non .

In summation the NANS boss said ; " Nigerians are in dire need of responsible citizens and organizations to champion the real way forward.